Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1527898
leadership roles at Gilbert High School, an AUHSD con- tinuation school. While teacher leads are given partial release time (which lets them remain in the classroom and connect directly with students), both they and full- time community school coordinators work with school staff, administrators, students, families and community partners on curriculum, services and much more. Resch said that community school initiatives such as "deep listening" and civic engagement have had a real impact on students. An example: One educator listened to a student — who is a parent of a baby — explain how the city bus schedule did not mesh with the end of the school day, leaving her to wait for an hour or seek other ways to get her and her baby home. When it became apparent that many students were affected by the bus schedule, Gilbert students worked to gather information, present it to city officials and get the schedule changed. "Listening to and giving our students the ability to take larger actions has given them a lot of confidence," Resch said. "There is a lot more dreaming by our kids about what is possible, what they are capable of doing." Learning Lab Lead Christie Bettendorf was particu- larly proud to include an alternative education school in the program mix. "I don't want that to be overlooked in the discussion — how community schools can be successful in giving alternative education students what they need, which is a second chance." At Gilbert and other community schools, she added, "every kid gets a chance to be part of a community, that structure is in place. Kids who went to Gilbert, even for a semester or less, come back to help with orientation, work in the mercadito (market), make documentaries about the school. Community schools have roots, and kids are rooted in their schools." Teams spent the final hours collaborating on their own plans for creating and sustaining a Community Schools Steering Committee and community schools. Learning Lab participants were overwhelmingly pos- itive in their evaluations of the program, and Bettendorf is excited at what's next. "A Portland [OR] team of 20 is coming for the November session," she said, joining Cal- ifornia teams from Alhambra, Fairfield-Suisun, Pomona and Whittier. A Seattle team of five is lined up. e lab is taking the show on the road, traveling to Washington, DC, in February 2025 and fielding interest from teams in Albany, NY; Baltimore; Jackson, MS; and North Carolina. Teams who complete the Learning Lab program can participate in the NEA Benchmark Academy, which sup- ports attendees through regular professional learning community meetings, customized trainings, and coach- ing for local district and site teams. ey can also enter NEA's Community School Implementation Institute, which helps community schools that are completing their needs and assets assessment engage in prob- lem-solving around their priority areas. The Leading & Learning visit to South Junior High included a tour of an entrepreneurial "market" and club run by exceptional students (bottom left) and presentations by educators, staff, students, parents and community members (below). 20 cta.org Feature